Her friends and family understood that it was a challenge for any woman in the military, but she knew they didn’t appreciate the reasons why it was especially hard for her. Lucy needed to have a degree of control over her life. The past two months had made it impossible for her to have that control—until now.
The music in the club made it challenging to have a decent conversation, but she wasn’t interested in chitchat. She stuck mostly to the bar, wishing not for the first time that it wasn’t dry, and watched the male submissives do what they could to get her attention. They were mostly guys around her age, but no one really captured her interest. This was her first visit to the Leather Slipper in months and she was hoping to find what she craved: someone strong and confident, someone she could take down a few pegs.
Finishing her Coke, Lucy was about to leave when a new arrival caught her eye. For a moment, she thought she must be imagining things because there was no way he could be here. Lucy wasn’t sure if Commander Tyler Richardson even knew what sex was, let alone what went on in a place like this.
The next thought was that her former boss was here looking for her.
But that was impossible.
Lucy brushed her fingers along the edge of her mask, reassuring herself that it was securely in place. Originally, she’d taken to wearing it to hide her youth from those who wouldn’t expect her to have the level of control necessary to meet their needs. She’d continued to wear it long past the time it was necessary, as others came to expect it to as part of her persona.
Now it would act as a shield, protecting her identity from the man who’d helped make her the officer she was now. The man who made her pussy clench and her breasts ache simply by entering the room.
The last thing Lucy wanted was for Richardson to recognize her. She had a hard enough time when it came to some of the ribbing she took from some of the male officers without adding the fact that she was a dominatrix into the mix.
The commander was dressed in civvies, making him look a lot younger than his forty years. The black T-shirt he wore clung perfectly to his shoulders and chest, showing off the fit body she’d caught a glimpse of once after they’d gotten soaked during a training exercise. He was in better shape than most of the twenty-something-year-old junior officers of her acquaintance.
Lucy’s nails dug into her palm as she watched him survey the room. Then his gaze landed on her. It had been over a year since she’d seen him last, when he’d transferred to shore duty. There didn’t seem to be any hint of recognition on his face, nor did he make any move to come closer. He simply stood there and stared. It took every ounce of her control not to squirm under the directness of his gaze. They weren’t back on base, and within these walls she wasn’t a subordinate. It didn’t matter who they were in the harsh light of day; here at the Leather Slipper, Lucy was in charge. The fissure of tension quickly dissipated.
She was about to get up and confront him when a woman who Lucy knew to be a submissive slid up to Richardson and gently took his hand. She lifted it to her face and rained kisses along the back of his knuckles. Instead of the smirk she’d grown used to seeing, Lucy was surprised when he jerked his hand away and shook his head.
He wasn’t here to find a sub? Then what the hell did he want?
The woman scurried away and Richardson went back to staring at Lucy.
Lucy didn’t realize she was moving until she was halfway across the room. He never once looked away from her, even when she cut across the open dance floor through the crowd of writhing bodies. His eyes widened then, presumably because he got the full effect of her black PVC corset and skirt, but otherwise he didn’t make a move.
She wore her hair down, the loose curls covering her shoulders, so very unlike the tight bun she was forced to wear during the workday. In her boots, Lucy came up to be almost equal to his six-foot frame, putting her on a far more level playing field than she was used to having with him.
Jutting her hip out to the side, she crossed her arms and peered at him from behind the mask. “Army boy?”
She could have laughed as he stiffened, his chin jutting out slightly. “Navy.”
Lucy snorted. “Of course you are.”
“Not hard to guess, living in this town.” His normally deep voice sounded rougher than normal. “Interesting place.”
“You’re clearly new. Who’s your sponsor?” Someone had to have gotten him in. Finding out who might raise some interesting questions.
Richardson laced his hands behind his back and widened his stance ever so slightly. “I’m a friend of the owner.”
God, if Lucy had known that, she would have picked another club. Too many nights she’d spent fantasizing about this man, picturing him falling to his knees, shirt off, waiting for her to tell him to get naked. She’d dreamed of taking the belt from his service khakis and beating his ass red until he begged her to let him fuck her.
It had taken her weeks to rid her fantasies of that particular image.
“So, navy boy, why are you here?”
His gaze slid from hers to a spot above her shoulder. “I’m looking for…for someone, Ma’am.”
Lucy cocked an eyebrow. Reaching out, she took him by the chin and forced him to look at her. “Who?”
She almost didn’t believe him when he let his gaze pointedly drop from hers to the floor. His tongue darted out to wet his lips and, for the first time since her acquaintance with the commander, he looked nervous.
“You, Ma’am.”
The thrill that raced through Lucy was nearly enough to make her come on the spot. No, he couldn’t actually mean her. He was simply looking for a domme, someone he could play around with. But even that felt wrong. Richardson never once gave her the submissive vibe, and Lucy had long ago figured out how to pick one out at a hundred paces. There was something else going on and she was determined to find out what.
“Why the hell should I waste my time with the likes of you?”
He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. It was the first time Lucy had ever seen him tongue-tied. He was a fast thinker, quick to toss off a smart-ass remark meant to put junior officers in their place. Not once had she seen him stumble. Not until now.
Lucy knew she needed to give him time to process things. Richardson might not even know himself why he had been driven to come here. He wouldn’t be the first person to come to a club like this seeking answers to questions he didn’t fully understand.
He pulled his shoulders back and lifted his chin, but kept his gaze on the floor. “Ma’am, I’ve recently had some things change in my life. I need…to understand.”
“Understand what?”
“I…” He growled softly. “I don’t rightfully know.”
If she was thinking straight, Lucy would turn around and let him find someone else to show him how glorious it could be to give up control. She couldn’t get involved with a superior officer. Had it been any other man, that’s exactly what she would have done. Instead, Lucy circled his throat with her hand, digging her nails into the soft skin and feeling his pulse pounding beneath her fingers. She’d wanted him since the first day she’d seen him. Knew there could be something between them if they tried.
“You come with me and I expect your total obedience. I’m not one of your minions who will scurry off to do your bidding at the snap of your fingers. This is my domain, and in here I’m the boss. Do you understand, sailor boy?”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
Lucy didn’t need to tell him to follow her. They all did when they got to this point in the game. She made her way over to Brandon, one of the dungeon monitors standing along the back of the room near the bar. The man paid no attention to Richardson, though Lucy could tell he was checking him out nonetheless.
“I see you’ve found some fun for the night, Mistress Rose.”
She’d chosen to use her middle name when she started coming to the Slipper. Now she was grateful she’d had the foresight to do so. “Yes, Brandon. Are there any ro
oms available?”
As Brandon took a quick look at the list, Lucy felt Richardson slide up behind her. It was so close to her fantasies that she was barely able to suppress a shiver. Turning her head to look at him from over her shoulder, she bit off a quick “Three steps back, sailor.” It was gratifying to see him comply as quickly as he did.
Brandon was smirking when Lucy turned around once more. “You’re in luck. The gray room is now free. You and your friend can use it.”
“Thank you, love.” She patted his chest as she strolled by. “I’ll be a while.”
“I have no doubt, Mistress. Enjoy your toy.”
The air in the room was cool when she entered. Her nipples tightened beneath the PVC, and goose bumps rose along her arms even as she moved about. It wouldn’t be long before she’d warm up, though. Sitting down on the lounge along the back of the room, she waited for Richardson to look his fill of the surroundings.
The room itself was relatively spartan. The gray walls gave the room its name, but the restraints along the wall needed little adornment to draw attention to them. Richardson walked over to one set of chains and fingered the cuffs.
“So this is what you do here? Tie men up?”
“Not just me.” Lucy tugged the hem of her skirt. “And it’s not always about being restrained. What is it that appeals to you?”
She knew he was still finding his way, but she had to know the direction of his thoughts if she was going to make this work. Still, it was more shocking to hear him speak the words than she’d ever experienced from any other sub.
“I need someone to control me.” The way he spoke sounded like each syllable was spoken through a mouth full of glass.
“Control has many faces. I can tell you what to do, when and how to do it.” Lucy licked her lips as she slid her hand across her thigh. His attention shifted from the leather cuffs to her hand. “I can command you the way they do in your precious navy. Would you like that?”
He didn’t speak. She had no doubt he didn’t even know what he was feeling at this point, let alone how to express it. He looked away and pinched the bridge of his nose. The frown on his face nearly broke her heart. For half a second she considered ripping off her mask to let him know that she was there—not Mistress Rose, but Lucy. There’d always been a connection between them, even when there shouldn’t have been. It was wrong to have these types of feelings for one’s commanding officer.
Lucy didn’t care.
“In this world there are rules. I think a sailor like you would be used to that.” Lucy slipped from her perch and approached him cautiously. “Unlike your world, it’s usually the one on the receiving end who gets to call the shots.”
He nodded. “I’m not sure if I’m into pain. I see enough of that every day.”
Disappointing, but if this turned out to be more than a one-night event, then Lucy had the chance to introduce him to the idea. “So what is it you want?” Reaching up, she fingered the hem of his T-shirt. “Do you want me to take control? Tell you what to do? Make everything nice and simple?”
The nod when it came was barely perceptible. Right. Richardson spent day in and day out controlling the fates of others. It was his words, his training that ensured that the men and women who crossed his path were ready to face the challenges that service life presented them. It stood to reason that he would get off on someone else taking control, putting him through the wringer and ensuring his pleasure.
Yeah, that she could do.
“If I do something you don’t like I want you to say red. Not stop or don’t. Red.” He nodded. Lucy came to stand behind him. He hadn’t released his grip on the leather cuff and she knew he was using it as a means to ground himself. “I want you to raise your hands above your head and face me.”
This wasn’t about asking permission. And though she didn’t know exactly what he was trying to get out of tonight, she knew where they could start. Lucy took a step back and waited to see what he would do. Instead of complying with her command, he reached out and fingered the side of her mask. “Why do you wear this?”
Lucy ignored the way her heart pounded at the briefest of caresses, his fingers against her cheek. “I’m the one in control. I ask the questions. Now do what I say, or else leave.”
She didn’t think he’d do it. Not really. So when he lifted his hands above his head and took a step back so he was now pressed against the wall, her breath caught in her lungs. This time Lucy held his gaze as she lifted the cuffs and secured first one, then the other around his wrists. The silver chains shone in the dim light as he tested them out. There wasn’t enough length to give him much room to move, but it would be enough for Lucy to twist and turn him as she wanted.
“It’s a shame I didn’t tell you to take your shirt off first. Not that I plan to deprive myself of the sight of your chest.” Grabbing the hem of his T-shirt, she lifted it up and over his head until it was bunched behind his neck. The stretched fabric further served to restrict his movements while at the same time framing his flawless torso.
“What do you do in the navy?”
“I was in surface warfare, a commander.”
Lucy froze. “Was?”
“I took the option of early retirement.” Richardson looked away, exposing the side of his jaw and the muscle twitching beneath the surface. “I couldn’t do it anymore.”
Of all the reasons he could have come here tonight, that was the last one she would have suspected. “And where do you plan to go from here?”
“I’m not sure. I feel like I’m…”
“Adrift?”
The look of relief on his face was one Lucy wouldn’t soon forget. “Yes. I’ve been fighting against something I don’t quite understand for a long time. I couldn’t do anything about it in the navy.”
That he was in pain and Lucy could help him set her heart racing again. She understood what it was like to be trapped like that. Wanting to be a part of something larger than oneself and yet needing to protect a piece of your soul to stay sane. Lucy was still struggling to find a way to make that happen. Clearly, he was ready to find his path.
They were opposite sides of the same coin—power and influence reversed from what they both needed. Lucy raked her nails down his naked chest. She grazed his nipples, smiling when he sucked in a sharp breath.
“You like that.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
“Normally I prefer my subs to call me Mistress, but Ma’am sounds right coming from you. You keep saying that.”
“Yes,” he sucked in another breath as Lucy tweaked his nipple, “Ma’am.”
“I’m going to play now. You stand still, sailor.”
Lucy continued to rake her nails up and down the length of his torso. She took her time exploring the expanse of skin before her, needing to learn the landscape so she could make his blood sing. Her mouth watered as she lowered her lips to his chest. She knew he could take the pain and held nothing back as she nipped and bit his skin. He flinched, his hands wrapping around the chains that held him, but he didn’t try to twist away.
“You’re gorgeous. But I bet you know that. I bet you spent your days teasing all the women on your ship and around your base.” She reached around and grabbed his ass. “I bet you shook this in the faces of all those pretty young things, knowing they could never get you.”
“No, Ma’am. I wouldn’t do that.”
“You wouldn’t?” Lucy leaned in and bit down on his cloth-covered shoulder. “I find that hard to believe. You would enjoy teasing those girls, make them want you even when they knew they couldn’t touch you.”
“Ma’am, no—”
Lucy dropped to her knees, her face level with his groin. “Shut up.”
He groaned, this time jerking hard on the chains when she leaned forward and pressed her face to his covered erection. “Shouldn’t I be doing something for you?”
“If I wanted something, then I would tell you.” Lucy blew hot air across his shaft. He groaned and bucked
his hips forward. She repeated the action, this time smiling as her red lipstick smudged the fabric. “Right now I want this.”
She quickly fumbled with the buckle on his belt, jerking it, along with the front of his pants, open. “I want to see what you’re packing, sailor.”
“Yes, Ma’am.” His eyes were screwed shut, and he was breathing out in sharp gasps. “Fuck.”
Lucy reached in and pulled his cock out, exposing his hot shaft to the air. Curling her fingers around him, she rose back to her feet. The weight of his pants pulled them down his legs, and with only a little help from her, they slipped down to pool around his feet.
“Bend your knees so it’s sticking out.”
He was slow to comply, though Lucy suspected his delay had more to do with the lustful haze he was now under and not from any insubordination. With a move far more awkward than it should have been, Lucy pulled up her skirt with one hand as she straddled his thigh. She’d forgone panties, loving the feel of the PVC against her shaved pussy. She was wet and her clit throbbed from her desire for him.
She gave his cock a squeeze as she ground down on his thigh. They both groaned, their voices echoing off the walls. “Don’t you dare come. Not until I tell you to.”
“Shit,” he muttered, only to gasp when she tugged down on his balls. “God, yes, Ma’am.”
“Yes, Ma’am what?”
“I won’t come until you tell me to.”
Lucy’s heart raced as she rubbed herself off on his leg. Despite her pleasurable distraction, she continued to listen to the staccato rhythm of his breathing. He jerked and twisted in his chains as she pumped his cock in time with her thrusts. It took an embarrassingly short amount of time for her to feel her orgasm approach. Leaning in, she sucked on his nipple, worrying the skin with her teeth.
“God, Lucy.”
She jerked her head up, and even though she now pressed down hard on his leg, her attention was solely fixed on his face. “What?”
Duty and Desire: Military Erotic Romance Page 15